A Light on a Hill
by gocubsgo17
Summary: Someone important in Brennan's life shows up at the lab, calling her Baby. Who is he? Why is Booth jealous? And can she move on from a part of her past that Booth doesn't know about? Not based on S6 rumors
1. Talking In Code

**A/N: I'm taking some creative liberties here with Brennan's past. It's always morphing on the show and I wish they would show more of it sometimes. This will probably not follow what has been written in the show exactly, but that's kind of the point. **

* * *

"I want to use one of my freebies!"

"Absolutely not, Doctor Brennan."

"If you do not use one of your freebie declines, then I want Mister Bray to remove the flesh immediately."

"I'm using one of my freebie declines. Doctor Brennan, please take a step back from the body. Now."

Poor Wendell and Angela were stuck in the middle of the autopsy and in the middle of one of Brennan and Cam's debates over flesh removal.

Brennan did as she was told. She had lost this fight and she wasn't used to it. She moved back and away from the body. She stood in the back of the room in the corner, where she could watch and observe Cam's work while staying out of the way. Flesh was meaningless in this case and to her, Cam was being stubborn. She needed to get to the bone. The sooner she found any evidence, the better. Cam should've known this by now. It was basic investigating skills and she was wasting time.

While Wendell helped Cam, Angela joined her best friend in the corner.

"Sorry about this one, Sweetie. You know Cam can be just as stubborn as you," Angela whispered as she took her friend's side.

Brennan kept quiet and watched her intern work with the pesky flesh. Angela wanted to say something to cheer Brennan up but couldn't think of anything that wouldn't annoy her.

But when she saw a delicious looking man wandering around the base of the forensic platform in a suit and it wasn't Booth, she had to point him out.

"Bren, did the Bureau assign Booth to desk duty or something?"

"Not that I am aware of. Why?" Brennan didn't take her eyes off of her grad student, who should've been defleshing the body, not examining it.

"Mister Bray, are you thinking of changing your thesis?" Brennan asked, not at all caring about the man Angela was ogling. He was on his way to the autopsy room, seeming to have found exactly what he was looking for.

"Uh…no, Doctor Brennan, I just like to learn," he mumbled nervously.

She accepted his answer and continued to watch her boss and grad student study the flesh for clues while attempting to hide her frustration by flipping through the preliminary case file.

"Seriously, Sweetie, this guy is a hunk, who is he?"

"I don't know, Angela. Why don't you go ask?" Brennan suggested as she watched Cam begin to remove the liver.

Angela was beginning to wear on Brennan's nerves. She wanted to get at the bones, find the evidence and catch the bad guy. She had received several texts from an anxious Booth who was waiting for leads from his Squints. She watched as Cam took samples of everything for all sorts of tests, observing if only to make sure she didn't harm the bones. She knew Cam was more than competent enough to ensure the bones would be defleshed in a timely manner as soon as she was done with them. Brennan was more annoyed than anything. She felt useless at this point. The pre-exam x-rays were no use to her and she needed to work with the actual bone.

She heard someone click their tongue and sigh loudly. Brennan earned an elbow in the rib from Angela and she finally looked up.

"'Nobody puts Baby in a corner,'" the man said. A sly smile spread across Brennan's face and she shoved the case file into Angela's hands as she ran over to him. He held out his arms and she warmly accepted the bear hug. Cam, Wendell and Angela all watched the exchange curiously. They stopped the autopsy to watch their awkward anthropologist reunite with some hunk they had never seen before.

"Joshua, what you doing here?" Brennan asked as she pulled away from the hug.

"I'm here to see you! Come on, Baby. We're going out to lunch."

She pulled away from him. "I'm working."

"Go," Cam told her, "I'm doing the autopsy now and when I'm done, Wendell can take care of the flesh."

"That's it, Baby. Come on," Joshua took her by the hand and pulled her out of the lab.

"Oh…my God," Angela muttered. She turned to look at her colleagues, both of whom had the same look of awe that she did.

"Was he calling her 'Baby'?" Cam asked. Angela nodded and smiled.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day where a man called Temperance Brennan 'Baby'," Cam confessed.

"Dead man walking," Wendell confirmed.

* * *

"Josh, I really don't have time to go out to eat. I have work to do. You-ˮ

"-Should've called, I know. I'm sorry, Baby, but I missed you!"

"Whoa! Am I interrupting something?" Booth said as he strode into the lab.

Brennan and Josh were standing in the entryway to the lab, she dodging the mystery man's attempts to take her to lunch and he doing everything but throw her over his shoulder and carry her out the door.

"No," she answered before Josh could say anything. Brennan, recognizing a social cue, introduced the two men.

"Josh, this is my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth. Booth, this is Josh Marshall. He's, for lack of a better term, my brother."

Booth stared down the man. This was not Bones' brother. He knew Russ. This wasn't Russ.

"Be kind, rewind," Booth said.

"I don't know what that means," she told him.

Josh laughed, obviously understanding the agent's confusion. "Baby and I were in the system together."

"Yes," Brennan said, "Josh is my foster brother."


	2. The Ocean Is Bleeding Salt

"_Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about." – Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park_

_

* * *

_

Angela and Wendell took turns sneaking around the lab to spy on Brennan. At first, Wendell felt bad for being shifty around his doctoral advisor, but he cared about Brennan deeply and wanted to know what was going on with this mystery guy.

Angela, on the other hand, seemed to be out of the loop by Brennan's own doing. She was hurt by her friend's inability to share this beautiful man with her but Josh was just so delicious, Angela understood why Bren had kept him a secret.

"Hey, Baby, is there somewhere I can change? This suit is killing me," they heard Josh say.

"The bathroom is just around the corner. We can go to the diner after you change. Booth, will you be joining us?"

"Nah, Bones. I should let you two catch up. I can pick something up for lunch at Wong Foo's, plus I have some stuff I need to do at the Hoover anyway."

Angela watched Josh walk into the men's restroom in a suit and emerge minutes later in jeans and a t shirt, exposing some subtle skin art that was hidden by the sleeves.

"Mmm, he gives Booth a run for his money," Angela mumbled.

"I'll see you later, Bones. If you get something on the case, call me."

"Of course, Booth," she smiled at him.

"Okay, Baby," Josh said, approaching the partners, "Let's go. I'm starving!"

Brennan grabbed her bag and jacket and followed Josh out the door. Angela ran straight over to Booth.

"Wow. I mean…Wow. Did you see him? How long has she been hiding him from us and why hasn't she been sharing?" Angela gushed.

"I'm sure that's why she didn't tell you about him," Booth mumbled.

Angela swatted him with the clipboard she was currently holding but smiled in spite of herself. "So how long have they been together? I'm sure she's told you. She tells you everything."

"It's not like that. Hey, can I use your computer? I need to check a few things and I really don't wanna go all the way over to the Hoover."

She slowly shook her head but let him follow her into her office.

"You're going to do a background check on her new dude, aren't you?"

"He's not exactly her boyfriend, Ange."

That piqued her interest. "Just a fling? Friends with benefits? Spill."

"They lived together. A long time ago."

"Wow! So it was serious! And this guy wants to get back together?"

"No! Angela, let me finish! Josh and Bones were foster siblings."

Angela made a silent 'Oh' and passed the keyboard to Booth.

"Wait…why was he calling her 'Baby'?"

Booth just shrugged and typed Josh's name into the FBI database. It didn't take long for them to find Josh Marshall. He was just as successful as Brennan, all things considered. He was a lawyer who specialized in family law in the Chicago area.

"I should hire him. Maybe I'll get custody of Parker," Booth muttered, "Look at all of those names."

"Booth, that just means you can't afford him. Those are some high profile names! Celebrities, politicians…Sorry, G-man. Well, he looks okay. No criminal record. Graduated from Burtonsville High, same as Bren. Went to Loyola for undergrad and law. Loyola is only about ten minutes from the Northwestern campus. They must be really close."

Booth laughed a skeptical laugh. "Where has he been when she needed someone, when Epps and Taffet wanted to kill her? I doubt they're that close."

"I don't know, Booth. She tried for all of three seconds to stay at work and then gave in to him when he took her to lunch. How often does she do that for you? She works and you have to pull her into her office to scarf down a carton of Wong Foo's."

"Bones and I go out to lunch!"

"Yeah, maybe when you're on your way to question a suspect, but when she's in the lab, you know there's no way you're getting her out of there."

Booth didn't say anything. She was right.

"Why was he calling her 'Baby'?" Angela was not about to drop it.

"I'm gonna go have lunch," he said.

Booth handed the keyboard to Angela and ran out the door to join Bones and Josh at the diner.

* * *

"So how have you been, Baby?"

She smiled at Josh and said, "Good. Things are going well. Things are going well at the firm?"

He nodded. "Yeah, since they made me partner, I've gotten several high-profile clients. You know anyone around here who needs help with adoption or custody?"

Brennan shrugged. "Booth might. He has a son he doesn't see much. I thought I told you about that."

"You did. His kid's name is Parker, right?"

"Yes. Josh, why are you here?"

"I missed my sister!" he said with a laugh.

"Biologically, I am not your sister. We met each other purely because we were placed in the same household during our time in the foster system."

Josh stood and moved to the other side of the table to take the seat next to her. They were sitting at diner, waiting for their food and sipping on coffee. She missed Josh. Though he was a reminder of what she had wanted to leave behind, she cared for him very much.

"Well, Kathy and Chris always thought it was important that we thought of them and Katie as our family. You and Katie were best friends! They were our family. Kathy still is. We're still family, Baby."

"I know. This is going to be hard to explain to my coworkers though."

"You didn't tell them about me?" he faked a hurt look.

"I don't like sharing my personal life. You know that," she scolded.

"I know, I know. Hey, isn't that your partner?" Josh asked, pointing out the diner window.

"I thought he was going to eat lunch at the Bureau," she muttered.

"Hiya, Bones! Hi, Josh," Booth said as he took a seat across from them.

"Hi, Agent Booth," Josh said, "I'm glad you decided to join us."

The waitress brought Brennan and Josh's food and promised Booth she'd put his order in right away.

"Me too. So tell me, Josh, why did you decide to go to Loyola? Is it so you could stick close to Bones?" he asked, snagging a cherry tomato off of Brennan's salad and popping it into his mouth.

"Booth!" Brennan stood and pulled her partner off of his chair. Dragging him to the counter, she asked, "You ran a background check on Josh?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I gotta make sure the people you hang out with are okay, Bones. You do have a tendency to date the wrong type. Do you want me to remind you? There was David-ˮ

She cut him off. "No. I don't need you to remind. And Josh is my brother."

"Not really."

"Blood doesn't matter to us," Josh said from behind them, "Your burger is here, Agent Booth."

Booth looked at the table. His cheeseburger and fries were indeed sitting at his spot. The two returned wordlessly to join Josh.

"You didn't have to run a background check on me, Agent Booth. You can ask me whatever you want. I'll tell you whatever you want to know about me. Or about Baby."

The two men earned a mischievous look on their faces.

"Don't you dare, Booth," Brennan warned.

"Why do you call her Baby?" Booth asked, ignoring his partner.


	3. At The Carnival

_I've learned that all a person has in life is family and friends. If you lose those, you have nothing, so friends are to be treasured more than anything else in the world.__ –Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park_

* * *

Brennan rolled her eyes. She knew she couldn't prevent Josh from telling this story. For some reason, it was embarrassing to her. She knew her love for a movie shouldn't make her so upset.

"There was one weekend before school started up again and Kathy really wanted the four of us to have one good last weekend before we had football practice and cheerleading and homework."

"Okay, hold on!" Booth stopped him, "Who is the four of you and who was the cheerleader? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I would've known if Bones was a cheerleader!"

Josh laughed. "Katie was the cheerleader. She was Kathy and Chris' biological daughter. And then there was me and Baby and Aaron, another foster brother."

"Okay, that makes more sense."

"So, Kathy took Katie and Baby, well at the time, we still called her Tempe, down to the movie store to rent a few flicks so we could pull an all-nighter and then to grocery store for junk food. Katie was always one of those girls who took forever to make up their minds but it was really easy when she and Kathy found out that Tempe had never seen _Dirty Dancing._"

"Bones! That movie is a classic!" Booth was shocked.

"That's exactly why Kathy and Katie made her watch it!" Josh cried. The two men weren't letting Brennan get a word in edgewise so she didn't even bother trying. "So they rented a few other guy movies for us but that night, _Dirty Dancing _was all we watched. After that, Baby just kind of stuck."

"Did she say 'Don't call me Baby'?" Booth asked, reminiscing back to the days when she was adjusting to the new nickname he had given her.

"All the damn time. She gave up after a while though. I think she kinda likes it," Josh taunted, giving Brennan a sideways glance.

She rolled her eyes again but smiled at Josh.

"Sounds like Bones," Booth said.

They talked for a while of other happy stories, like when Katie was homecoming queen and when Aaron won a state baseball championship. All somehow involved happy memories of a family aspect for Bones, and it baffled Booth. He didn't understand why she couldn't think of this more often, why she had to dwell on the hard times more.

"I need to get back to the lab," Brennan finally said, her tone full of regret. Booth could tell she was having fun.

"Alright, well, I'll just head back to my hotel and I'll see you when you're done with work. Give me a call, okay?"

"Wait," she stopped midway through putting her jacket on, "why are you staying in a hotel?"

"Because my apartment is in Chicago," Josh teased.

She chuckled a bit. "You're staying with me," Brennan told him. She tossed him a set of keys and told him which key would let him in the door.

Brennan rode with Booth back to the lab. It was the first time in a while that Booth had genuinely seen Bones happy. Her smile wasn't forced and her laugh came naturally. He missed that. He wanted to see that more often.

"Bones, how come you never told me any of that stuff before?"

She shrugged and stared out the passenger window, deep in thought.

"I don't like talking about my personal life."

"Well, yeah, but family is kind of different, Bones."

"Josh isn't family."

"Could've fooled me."

She turned and glared at him.

"I'm just saying, Bones, normally, partners tell each other things like this. I thought we had established that. I mean, I know Max and Russ. You know Parker, Jared and Pops…I just thought if you had more family, you would've told me," he explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

"While the time that I spent in the Allen household was pleasant, it didn't end so well," she revealed.

As he pulled into a parking spot at the Jeffersonian, Booth looked her over and he knew she was starting to close up. He wasn't going to get much more from her. "Are you going to tell me why? It sounded like you had a family."

"I've told you this before, Booth. I'm just one of those people who doesn't belong in a family." She exited the car before he could say another word.

* * *

Brennan arrived to her apartment that night to find dinner already on the table for her. Josh was bustling around the kitchen making sure things were perfect.

"I didn't know you could cook," she said as a greeting.

"Well, Baby, that's what happens when you don't call as much as you should. Kathy says you call all the time. Why don't you ever call me?"

"Well, maybe I like Kathy more than I like you," she jabbed.

Brennan sat down at her table and looked at the dinner Josh was serving for her. She had to admit, it smelled and looked delicious.

"How was work?" he asked.

"You don't want to know. I've learned the dinner table is neither the time nor the place for talking about gruesome murder cases."

Josh laughed. "Fine. We'll save the murder for dessert. So how long have you and Booth been…you know…how long have you two…"

She should've seen this coming. Everyone always thinks of her and Booth like that. "No. Booth and I. No. We're just partners."

"Ha! Yeah, right."

"Josh, don't start. I remember how you and Aaron scared off Katie's prom date-ˮ

His eyes widened and his grin covered his entire face. "I knew it! You're in love with your partner. You don't want me to scare him off! Oh boy, if Aaron and Chris were still here, we'd-ˮ

"That is not what I meant! I didn't mean…" But whatever she said, Josh didn't hear. He was laughing and teasing in a singsong voice, "You're in love with your partner!" The blush in her cheeks burned and the ruckus and laughter from their argument over whether or not she loved Booth drowned out the sound that Booth was in fact knocking at the door.

He could hear the chaos inside but it didn't sound like a threat. Normally, he would've broken down the door, busted his shoulder and made sure Bones was okay but she sounded like she was having fun.

Despite the fact that he had brought enough Wong Fu's for three, he turned around and left Bones to have family time.


	4. Shivers I've Got 'Em

"Did you know he was coming?"

"_Yes, and he begged me not to tell you, Baby. He wanted it to be a surprise. Were you surprised?"_

"I was very surprised. He showed up at the lab. Angela was slobbering all over him."

"_I think you mean drooling. Is he staying with you?"_

"Of course, Kathy. I wasn't about to let him stay in a crappy hotel."

"_You know your brother. The moment they made him partner at the firm, he hasn't spared one expense. Wherever he was staying, it wasn't your average Motel Six."_

Brennan had called her former foster mother the next morning. It was early and Josh was still sleeping just down the hall.

"You should've come with him. There is more than enough room for the both of you in my apartment."

"_I wish I could've, Baby. I gotta keep the house afloat and that means I have to work."_

"If it's money, I can help you out. I'm sure Josh would help you too."

"_No, Baby. I appreciate the sentiment but…No."_

"What would I help out with?"

Brennan looked over her shoulder to see Josh standing in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

"Money," Brennan mouthed to him.

"Mama Kathy, I'll help you out!" Josh ran over and shouted into the receiver. Brennan pulled the phone away from Josh to prevent both her and Kathy's ears from being assaulted from the sudden rush of loud noise and put the phone on speaker.

"_I'm fine, guys. I wish you would come visit more. Your rooms haven't changed a bit. They're ready for you whenever you get here."_

"Well, there won't be enough room when Baby visits. She'll want to bring Booth," Josh teased. Brennan swatted at him but he jumped out of the way just in time.

"_Baby, are you not telling me something?"_ Kathy asked with a hint of teasing in her voice. Brennan had gotten used to the amount of teasing and joking around that had gone on in the Allen household during her time there, but it had been a while since she had been around all of that.

"No! No," was all she said.

"She's in love with Booth," Josh told Kathy.

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"You're not what?" Booth had come in while they were arguing and was holding a steaming cup of coffee out to his partner. The siblings jumped.

"Booth, you can't just walk in like that."

"Sorry, Bones, but we got a case. You didn't answer your door."

"He has a spare key?" Josh asked.

Brennan turned around and shot him a _shut-up_ glare. She grabbed her phone and took Kathy off of speaker.

"Kathy, I have to go. I'll let you talk to Josh. Okay, yeah, I'll call you later. Love you, too. Bye." She passed the phone to Josh and looked at Booth.

"Let me get ready and we can leave. Where are we going?"

"I have couple of hazmat suits in the back of the car. Dispatch says it's bad. Who were you talking to?"

"Kathy?"

"Kathy Reichs?" he joked.

She smiled at him. "Kathy was our foster mother. And yes, that who the character is named after."

He nodded. "Go get ready, Bones. We have a bit of drive a head of us."

* * *

"So how come you've never told me about Josh and Kathy before?"

She didn't answer him. They were at the crime scene. The body was found in a chemical tank that had leaked just outside a research facility at a community college.

"Male, early twenties, Caucasian," was all she said.

Booth dutifully took notes but kept with his line of questioning. "Did you just forget that you had a family?"

"We've already discussed this. I'd like to focus on the case, please."

"I don't think so, Bones. I wanna know why you didn't tell me about your family."

She stomped through the chemical spill and over to Booth. "There are certain things you don't talk about, like your time in the Army," her voice was dangerously low and threatening, "There are things I don't talk about."

She walked back to the body, leaving Booth not only worried about what had happened in her past, worried about what Josh would do to bring up those memories.

It finally hit him when they were on their way back to the Jeffersonian a while later with the evidence. _Offer up a little bit of yourself once in a while._

She was staring out the passenger window with that thoughtful look he had seen so many times before.

"Bones…"

She didn't move.

"Bones?"

Still nothing.

"When I was in the Rangers, my spotter, Teddy, was on a mission with me. He had never been on this type of mission before. I had. I should've warned him. I should've told him to stay down. I knew they were there. I just thought he knew to stay down."

He was about to lose it and he hoped she would remember the advice given to her so long ago.

She looked at him, watching the tears in his eyes about to fall. Brennan reached over and grabbed his hand and gripped it tight. He squeezed back and waited for her to say something.

It was a while before she pulled her hand out of his and looked back out her window, but she stayed quiet. _Offer up a little bit of yourself once in a while,_ she remembered. But she couldn't do it.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Agent Booth?"

"Yeah, thanks for meeting me here, Josh."

"No problem. What's up?"

The men were sitting at the Founding Fathers during the lunch rush and waitress brought the lawyer a beer and the agent a cup of coffee.

"What happened with you and Bones?"

"Why do you call her Bones?"

"Answer my question first."

Josh leaned back in his chair and sighed. "We all just had some problems and we had to split up. Kathy couldn't keep us and we had to go to different homes. Why do you call her Bones?"

"She works with bones," he said like it was nothing, "What problems?"

"If you want to know so bad, ask Baby. Or look it up in her file. You have access to that sort of thing."

"She won't tell me."

"Then maybe you should leave it alone."

Josh was becoming defensive. Whatever it was, it was a touchy subject. Booth eyed him as the waitress brought Booth's meatloaf and Josh's burger. They ate in silence for several minutes before either of them said anything.

"You two are close. I can see that. I just know why she didn't tell me about you," Booth said between bites.

"And I can tell you two are close. You're her best friend. I don't know why she didn't tell you. I'm sorry, Agent Booth, but I'm not going to disrespect my sister's privacy. It's something I really don't want to talk about either."

"I don't have much experience with the foster system apart from what Bones has told me. I didn't mean to pry. I'm sorry."

Josh nodded as an acceptance of his apology.

"Look, I'll tell you what happened. But you have to understand…I don't think Baby ever got over it. She and Katie were best friends. And then..." Josh stopped, his emotions getting the better of him. He pushed his burger away. He had lost his appetite just preparing to tell the story.


	5. Broadripple Is Burning

He left her alone a majority of the day, letting her work her magic on the case. And he knew she wouldn't stop for lunch, so taking her some dinner would give him the chance to talk to her. After listening to Josh's story, he went back to the Hoover and contemplated pulling Bones' file out. He did. Booth sat at his desk, staring at the first page of the file. He only read the things he already knew. Her picture, name, address, occupation, previous occupations, things she had told him herself. But he didn't dare flipping any farther into her history. Booth trusted Josh's story.

But he wanted to hear it from her.

Hoping some vegetarian Indian food would serve as a peace offering, he put on a brave face and ordered her favorites plus something that would, with any luck, satisfy his hunger.

When he arrived at the lab that evening, she was alone on the platform. His entry shattered the silence of her surroundings but she didn't look up. She only stopped working when the scent of her Bengan Bhartha reached her nose.

"Booth, I'm not ready to give you the details you're looking for."

"It's time to take a break, Bones. You skipped lunch. I know how you are."

She stripped her hands of her gloves and glided down the platform steps.

"Only because I was waiting for you to force me to eat."

"You skipped lunch because you wanted to eat with me?" He felt guilty for eating with Josh as her brother traded stories about her past, but he didn't say a thing.

"You brought me food from Masala?"

"Yeah!"

"The last time I tried making you eat food from there, you said you wanted to vomit."

"Well, I over exaggerated a bit. It wasn't that bad. Come on, let's go eat."

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and followed him up the stairs to the lounge. They sat at the table, she was at the end and he was to her right. It was a comfortable silence as he spread out the food he brought.

"Is there anything you can tell me about the victim so far?" Booth said, attempting to ease into the topic.

She nodded and went into the various details about what she had been doing to narrow down the man's identity and cause of death. Booth could tell she was telling him in a way he could understand, rather than spouting off the intense anthropological details.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Booth. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that at the scene. It was unprofessional."

"No harm, no foul," he brushed it off.

As she took another bite, Brennan gave him a confused look but continued with what she had been saying.

"I know you told me about your Army friend so I would tell you about my time in foster care with Josh and Kathy. I will tell you," she took a breath to steady herself, "but will you answer a question for me first?"

Booth nodded and waited for her question.

"Is Teddy the reason you never had a partner at the FBI before me?"

Booth swallowed his food and thought over his answer before he spoke.

"I guess so," he said, staring down at his food, "I didn't want to be responsible for someone else."

"I can take care of myself, Booth. You know that."

"I know. That's why you're my partner."

They exchanged smiles and became quiet once more. Booth finished off his food and pushed the takeout boxes away. He didn't want to seem impatient, but he had heard Josh's side of the story, and he wanted to know what Bones had to say on the subject. The agent knew it was going to be hard for her to even talk about losing her best friend and brother.

She took another bite. Why, she wasn't sure. She didn't want to dwell on this any longer, but it was rough. She did what she could on a daily basis to keep her thoughts in check and not roam towards Katie and Aaron. But Sundays were a day when she made it her mission to call Kathy. Sometimes, after a rough case, after she and Booth celebrated its completion, after he dropped her off at her apartment, she would call Kathy, and the woman she thought of as her mother would pick up, no matter how late at night it was in Burtonsville or how drunk Brennan was. There were several occasions where she had too much to drink and Kathy would calm her down and talk her into bed, the worst being the night Brennan left Booth outside of the skuzzy pool bar. The moment she reached her apartment that night, Kathy was on the phone in a matter of minutes. But talking down a drunken Brennan wasn't the only reason they talked. While Brennan called every Sunday like it was part of her job description, but whenever something came up that reminded her of Katie or Aaron, Brennan would hide herself away during a lunch hour down in Limbo or run out to the National Mall before Booth could come by and snag her away for lunch, and spend that time reminiscing on the few good memories she had of her teenage years. It was the moments like this she wanted to leave Booth right there and call Kathy for some advice. She wanted to know what to tell him, how to tell him, and what should remain private. She wanted Kathy to tell her what she should do, just like she had when things went downhill with Booth so many years ago. She finished her bite and took a sip of the water in front of her. Bracing herself for what was coming next, she settled in to tell her story.

"It was fall, the night of the homecoming game. I went with Kathy and Chris to the game. Katie won homecoming queen that night. She was so excited. Josh was the starting running back that night and Aaron was in the homecoming court. After they were crowned, they came to sit with us to watch Josh. I was really surprised that night when Katie chose to sit with me rather than the girls she normally hung out with at school. She told me during halftime, while the marching band was performing, that I was the closest friend she had. Kathy told me later that Katie had a falling out with her friends that day because she was defending me. They were calling me Morticia and she stuck up for me."

The tears were forming in her eyes and she shook it off, like it was nothing. Booth grabbed her hand and waited for her to continue.

"It should've been a great night. It was still kind of a warm night and Josh won the game. Katie, Josh and Aaron were invited to a party after the game and Katie wanted me to come along, but I told her no. I wanted to work on my homework. The three of them left and Kathy begged them to be careful. Chris told Katie he loved her and they left. And I went home with Kathy and Chris."

Brennan couldn't look at him. Her tears were falling down faster and faster with each word she spoke. Without dropping her hand, Booth pulled his chair closer to her.

"Chris woke me up at three in the morning. I had fallen asleep at the kitchen table working on a project for my advanced biology class. All he told me was that we had to go down to the hospital. It was pretty far away. Burtonsville is pretty far from large cities and the closest hospital was almost forty five minutes away. It was the longest car ride of my life. When we got there, they told us Katie and Aaron were in an accident. They were on their way home. They're not sure what happened or why, but Aaron crossed the double yellow. They hit a telephone pole before rolling into the ditch. Aaron didn't even make it to the hospital. Katie was in a coma for three days before she died. We didn't know where Josh was until he showed up after news got out about Aaron. If he had been in that car, he'd be dead too. Kathy and Chris were devastated. They still had Josh and I to look after but they had just lost their biological daughter. Chris wanted to quit fostering. He wanted to send Josh and I somewhere else. But Kathy wouldn't let him. I used to wonder if Kathy only kept me around because she missed Katie."

"Bones, you know that's not true."

"I finally found a place I felt comfortable," she said, ignoring his statement, "I had found a family who loved and cared for me when my own didn't. And then…Chris left. I woke up one morning, and it was just Kathy, Josh and I. I haven't seen him since. Kathy hasn't heard from him in years. But then, when the state found out that Chris was gone and Kathy was still working, they took us. They made Josh and I move. The state wouldn't let a single working mom to foster. Kathy had to choose between Josh and I or working. She had to keep working. It was the only way she could keep buying groceries and making the house payment. Josh didn't even cry at the funerals, but he did when they took him. He went first. He called our house the moment he got to his new place and left his new number. His new foster parents wouldn't let him use the phone on a daily basis though. He got one call a week. After a while, he'd call Kathy from the payphone at the little market down on Second Street. They took me a day later. I couldn't use the phone at all at my new foster home. I would go the nurse's office at school, pretend I had the flu or something and I'd call Kathy. I started spending my lunch times in the nurse's office when she finally figured out what had happened. The nurse would let me call Kathy whenever I wanted. Kathy was the one who helped Josh and I through college and encouraged me to apply for the job at the Jeffersonian. I wanted to stay in Illinois so I could see her more often, but Kathy knew I needed to get away."

"Bones…" he didn't know what to say. He stood and pulled her into a hug. She normally would've fought him on it, but she gave in, thankful that he decided this over words. She didn't want his sympathy. She had compartmentalized and learned to deal with it a long time ago, but with the story still fresh in her mind, she leaned into the hug a bit more.

Josh entered the lab, wondering what case had his sister so wrapped up in work that she had forgotten to meet him at the diner. He glanced around but couldn't see her. Her car was still in the lot; he knew she was here somewhere. His eyes weren't as trained as Booth's but it didn't take a former sniper to notice the movement above the platform. Josh watched her settle into Booth's arms. She looked exhausted, but content where she was.

"You can deny it all you want, Baby," Josh muttered, "But you love him. He loves you too."


	6. A Children's Crusade on Acid

It didn't take much to convince Brennan to go home. Booth could see she was tired and the case wasn't the cause.

She felt better now that her story was out, but she just wanted to see Josh and talk to Kathy.

He led her down the stairs, their arms linked together like they would if they were taking a walk by the Reflecting Pool. They walked in silence, the only sound in the lab was their footsteps treading down the steps. They both thought they were the only ones in the lab, so when Josh met them halfway, Booth instinctively pushed Bones behind him and placed his hand over his holstered weapon.

"Whoa! It's just me!" Josh said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Booth, what are you doing?"

"Anyone that comes creeping around the lab this late at night usually isn't good news," Booth said in his defense.

Brennan let go of his arm and wrapped her own around Josh. He hugged her back, Josh's eyes on Booth. Josh could see the hardness of the agent wearing away the more time she spent with his sister. It was comforting for Josh to know that she was well taken care of, even if he and Kathy were so far away.

"Come on, I'll drive you home, Bones," Booth offered.

"I supposed that's necessary since you picked me up this morning," she relented.

They walked to Booth's SUV, the siblings discussing their day and plans for the weekend.

"I fly out Sunday morning. But, I've decided we're going to have a party on Saturday night," Josh told her.

"Why?"

"We're going to celebrate your birthday while I'm here."

"Josh, my birthday isn't until next month!"

"And I won't be here next month! We can just celebrate it! Come on, for me? I have a surprise for you!"

"What is it?"

Josh laughed. "It's a surprise, Baby! You can only have your surprise if you let me throw an early birthday party for you _and _you can't have it until Friday night."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you! It would ruin the surprise!"

"Bones, just go with it," Booth cut into their conversation.

She rolled her eyes at the two and sighed. "Fine. I guess we have a deal."

* * *

Brennan, after solving the case and taking a day off to spend with Josh, found herself anxiously awaiting the arrival of Friday night.

"Are you excited for tomorrow, Baby?"

"Normally, I would say yes, but since I do not know what you're planning, I find that I'm uncharacteristically nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Yes, Josh! I have no idea what you're planning and whatever this surprise is isn't helping. Can I have my surprise now?" she whined, sounding like a child rather than a grown adult with three doctorates.

Checking the clock, Josh did a few calculations in his head. "Fine. But I'm blindfolding you."

"No! No way! Just give me my surprise!"

"I can't! We have to go somewhere!"

She groaned and after a few minutes of bickering, she let Josh blindfold her and lead her out to her car. He guided her into the passenger seat before jumping in to take the wheel. Booth was arriving at the same time and was curious as to what her surprise was. Using paperwork as an excuse to come over, he jogged to her car before they could take off. He tapped on the passenger window, making a blindfolded Brennan jump. Josh rolled down the window.

"Bones, what's going on?"

"Booth? Josh is taking me to my surprise. What are you doing here?"

"I brought you the paper work for that case on the chemical spill at the college. I thought you said you wanted to go over our reports."

"I do, but…I'm kind of busy."

"Booth, why don't you come with us?" Josh offered.

"Nah…" he tried to play it off, "You two have fun. I'll bring the paperwork over later, Bones."

"Please, Booth?" she asked. Once she spoke, he couldn't say no. He climbed into the back seat and tossed the paper work off to the side.

"Bones, don't go calculating the speed of the car, the number of stops and which way we're turning, okay?"

"How did you know I was going to-ˮ

"Because I know you, Bones. Let your brother surprise you."

She crossed her arms in frustration and let out a huff. "Fine."

"Thanks, Baby. You won't be sorry, I promise," she heard Josh say.

They arrived at Dulles International Airport a while later after fighting Friday night traffic and working their way through road construction. When they arrived, Booth helped her out of the car and she latched onto his arm once more. The pair followed Josh to the arrivals gate.

"The airport?" she guessed from the noise of her surroundings.

"Let him surprise you," Booth whispered in her ear. Still blindfolded and feeling foolish, she held on to Booth tighter as they followed Josh to the flight lists.

"She had a direct from O'Hare," Josh mumbled to himself, "She landed already."

Josh scanned the crowd of people coming through the arrivals gate, looking for a familiar face. The grin plastered on his face when he saw her said everything. He was excited to surprise Baby and he knew Kathy missed her just as much as he did. Josh pushed his way through the herd of people and Booth and Brennan followed. He hugged Kathy and she kissed him on his forehead before giving him a once over to make sure he was okay.

"She doesn't know you're here," Josh whispered and pointed to Booth and Bones.

"She's going to be so mad," Kathy joked as she made her way over to the partners.

Booth smiled at Bones' foster mother, but didn't say anything out of fear of ruining the surprise.

"I'm Kathy. You must be Agent Booth." Kathy held her hand out for him to shake and he took it as Brennan ripped her blindfold off. She gave Josh a death glare, but he could tell she didn't mean it.

"I can see why Baby put you in her books," Kathy teased.

"He's not in the books." "I'm not in the books." They said at the same time.

"Right," she nodded, before pulling Brennan into a hug.


	7. My Baby Shoots Her Mouth Off

"You should've told me you were coming!"

"It would've ruined Josh's surprise. I couldn't do that to him, Baby."

Brennan smiled and Kathy pulled back from the hug to look her over. "You've lost weight. Have you been eating?"

"Yes," both Josh and Booth answered for her. Kathy smiled and wrapped an arm around Brennan's as she pulled her toward the baggage claim.

"Baby, we need to have a talk. Just me and you. Those two overprotective men in your life can't listen in," Brennan's foster mother whispered and nodded her head back toward Booth and Josh.

"Okay, what are we talking about?" Brennan asked in the same hushed voice.

"You. And Booth. You never told me he was hot."

"Yes, I did, Kathy. I said he has very symmetrical features and the breadth of his shoulders can't compare-ˮ

"Baby, can you just say he's hot? Just admit it." Kathy had that light in her eyes that reminded Brennan of Angela when gossiping. She had missed this, talking without worrying about what anyone thought. She, Katie and Kathy used to stay up late into the night talking about their high school drama and Kathy never judged, only gave the best advice a mother could give. The memories of a devastated, recently single Katie came flooding back. When Mark Robson broke her heart, Kathy and Brennan spent an entire night after a state baseball qualifying game consoling and attempting to mend what had been broken. But then there were the nights that she and Kathy would listen to Katie gush about the new boy in her home economics class who was cuter than any one she had seen before.

"He's very attractive," Brennan finally whispered.

"I'll take that. So…"

"What?"

"Have you told him that you want him?"

"Kathy, it's not like that," Brennan tried to keep her voice down. She didn't want Booth to know they were talking about him. "We're partners. Just work."

"He's in love with you, Baby. And I know you at least care about him. If you had seen the way you were hanging on him before you took the blindfold off…honestly, I thought you had finally just taken that jump I've been trying to convince you to take."

"Sorry to disappoint," Brennan deadpanned.

Kathy rolled her eyes at Brennan's melodramatics. "We can talk more later," she changed from a conspiratorial murmur to a loud, motherly voice, "Where's a good place to get a drink around here? Those drinks on the airline were nasty."

* * *

The four were sitting around a table in Wong Fu's and Booth was trying to force stories out of Kathy about an adolescent Brennan, much to her protest.

"Josh has told you everything. I'm not sure what else you want to know," Brennan said.

"I'm sure there a few stories I haven't heard," he smiled at her.

Kathy and Josh looked at each other and shared a knowing glance.

"So," Kathy said, preparing for the awkwardness she was about to instigate, "are you two dating?"

"What? Kathy, no, we've talked about this before," Brennan said through gritted teeth. Booth's cheeks flushed as he listened to her answer.

"But you want to be?" Kathy said, looking at Booth.

"We're just partners," they both answered.

"I don't believe you." Kathy's grin was wider than Brennan had seen in a while.

Booth and Brennan just looked at each other for a second before Kathy stood up and announced she and Brennan were going to go to the restroom, leaving Josh and Booth alone.

Brennan recognized the hint Angela had given her so long ago and followed Kathy to the bathroom even though her bladder was nowhere close to being full.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't understand…"

"Baby, he wants to be with you. Why are you two dancing around this?"

"I told you what happened when we first met. Nothing has happened since. And even if something were to occur between Booth and I, we wouldn't be allowed to work together and I value my career more than personal romantic relationships."

"If Katie was here right now, she'd kick your ass. You told me about the kiss outside the pool bar, the kiss in your office at Christmastime, why can't you just remember how you felt then and just…go for it." Kathy was getting frustrated. She just wanted Brennan to be happy and she didn't understand what was keeping her from it.

"What I felt was a rush of endorphins caused by-ˮ

"That's a load of bull and you know it. Do you remember the time Katie thought she was going to marry that kid she was dating junior year? You've got that look in your eye when you look at Booth. And he adores you."

"You can't know that."

"You don't know because you're too busy putting up walls. I know you, Baby. You won't let yourself be happy."

"This has nothing to do with happiness. I'm perfectly happy with where I am in my life right now. My career is everything to me."

"And if you're not careful, Tempe, it'll be the only thing you'll have left."

Brennan knew she meant business when Kathy used her given name. It wasn't often when she did, but as a teen, she knew something was wrong if Kathy or Chris called her anything but Baby.

"Look, I'm not going to force you on him. I just think you need to think about it. Give him a chance or you're not going to find this again."

Kathy opened the restroom door for her and Brennan led the way back to the table.

"Bones, you okay?" Booth asked when the two arrived back.

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Well, you look a little pale."

"I'm just hungry, Booth."

"Well, Sid should be bringing our food out any minute. Are you sure you're okay, Bones?"

Kathy and Josh watched the exchange with a grin.

"Did you talk to him?" Kathy whispered to him as they continued to watch the partners talk.

Josh nodded. "He's so in love with her. I don't know how she doesn't see it."

"Your sister is stubborn. Did he actually tell you he loves her?"

"In a roundabout way, yeah. What did Baby say?"

"She's gonna think about it, but give her a day or two. By the time we leave, they'll be together."

"Mama Kathy, you and I are going to be the best matchmakers on the East Coast."

The two laughed lightly and kept quiet while Brennan and Booth bickered about anything and everything.


	8. Barfight Revolution

Saturday night rolled around, and with the help of Josh's new friend, Booth, he pulled together an impromptu party for his sister's birthday at the Founding Fathers. Their friends were gathering early and Booth was bringing Brennan a bit later. The Squint Squad arrived and all were excited to meet the two hidden members of Brennan's family. It was dark out before the partners showed up at the bar. Her friends and family were gathered around a couple of tables and drinks covered the tabletops. The infamous duo made their entrance and ordered the usual glass of wine and beer. It was loud inside the popular bar and the group's laughter only added to the noise. The party lasted well into the night and it wasn't until Brennan spied Kathy talking to Booth near the end of the bar when she suspected something was going on. She watched her partner and the woman she thought of as her mother shout to each other over the other noise, but Brennan was too far away, and her other friends were too loud to hear what they were saying. She looked on, ignoring what Angela was saying to her, as Kathy hugged Booth and placed a kiss on his forehead. She had seen Kathy do that to Josh and Aaron but it seemed different this time. Something had changed.

"Earth to Brennan?" Angela snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was saying your dad and brother are here," Angela whispered urgently, pointing to the door behind her friend.

Brennan turned around and saw Max and Russ coming toward her.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I can't come say happy birthday to my little girl?" he asked.

"Dad, you of all people should know when my birthday is. How did you find out about this?"

"Hey, Max. How's it hangin'?" Booth said from behind her. His voice made her jump and she turned slightly to look at him. He seemed calm in contrast to the other patrons surrounding them.

"Hi, Booth. Thanks for inviting us."

"Eh, don't mention it. You two want a drink?"

"I'll take a beer," Russ asked.

"Same. How are you, Tempe?" Max asked as Booth walked away and pulled her into a hug.

"Uh, I'm good. I'll be right back." She followed Booth to the bar, where he was waiting for the drinks. "Why did you invite my dad and Russ?" she asked him.

"Josh asked me to. He and Kathy want to meet them."

"Don't you think that'd be…"

"What? Awkward? Nah, once I told Max what was going on, he said they'd be here."

"Oh. I suppose I should go introduce them."

Booth glanced over her shoulder. "I think you're too late."

Brennan followed his gaze to see Josh and Russ shaking hands and Max hugging Kathy. She looked back at Booth, who nodded. "I'll be right there, Bones. Go ahead."

She ignored the encouragement but walked toward her family anyway. When she reached them, she said nothing and only observed the interactions between the family that abandoned her and the one that took her in.

"I see you've already met each other," was all she could come up with.

Max smiled at her and then looked back at Kathy. "Thanks for taking care of her. Can I ask…how much has Tempe you two about me?"

"A lot," Josh answered.

"What has she told you?"

"Dad-ˮ Brennan tried to interrupt.

"I know that you both abandoned her, that you both came back into her life without really even asking permission. But I know she loves you even if she hasn't forgiven you- Ow! Baby!"

"Stop it," Brennan said through clenched teeth. Josh gave her a glare and then turned his attention to his bruising shin she had just kicked.

"Everything alright over here?" Booth asked, handing Max and Russ each a bottle.

"Just fine, Booth. Say, are we in time for birthday cake?"

Josh smiled at his sister's father. "Birthday cake sounds good. Russ, they have the cake behind the bar. Wanna give me a hand?"

Her brothers walked away and Kathy pulled Brennan toward one of the tables. "Baby, why is this hard for you?"

"He's a murderer. I just don't think Josh, as a lawyer, should be associating with someone like him."

Kathy chuckled. "Whatever, Baby."

When Josh and Russ returned with the cake, they lit the candles in front of her and they were the first two to begin singing to Brennan. She hesitated for a brief second before blowing out the candles and everyone cheered when the fire was extinguished. Kathy and Angela cut the cake and began to pass it out.

"What did you wish for?" Booth whispered in her ear.

"I don't believe in wishing for things, Booth. You know that."

His smile lit up his face and it was infectious; she smiled too. "You wished for something, Bones. You had that same look on your face Parker gets when he blows out the candles. What didja wish for?"

She could feel his breath on her neck. It sent shivers down her spine, but Brennan didn't let it show. "I haven't wished for anything since I was a little girl."

"What did you wish for tonight, Baby?"

"You don't get to call me Baby," she whispered back. She wasn't angry, far from it. But her mind was wandering the closer his lips got to her skin.

"Okay, Bones. I won't call you Baby. But you have to tell me what you wished for."

She turned her head slightly so she could get a good look at him without letting their lips touch. She gazed at his face and looked him in the eye. "I wished for you to find happiness."

"Bones, it's your birthday. You're supposed to make a wish for you."

"It's not my birthday yet, technically," she said with a grin that recharged his, "And I can wish for whatever I want."

"Fair enough. I'm not going to argue with a genius."

She looked at him again and then looked toward Angela and Kathy. They were watching her and they both averted her eyes when Brennan made eye contact. Brennan laughed slightly.

"You want some cake, Bones?"

"Yes, but I have a question for you."

Booth rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. "What's that?"

"What was Kathy saying to you earlier?"

"Huh?"

"I saw you talking to Kathy just over there earlier. She seems to like you and I'd like to know what she said to you."

"You've become very observant."

"You've taught me to be observant."

Booth chuckled a bit. "She wanted to know how I feel about you."

"And?"

Booth shook his head. "You only asked me what Kathy said, not what I said back."

"Booth, that's not fair. What did you say?"

"I told her that I'm in love with you, but that I wasn't going to force it. I told you already, Bones, I'm that guy."

Brennan looked back at Kathy again, who was now flanked by Josh rather than by Angela. Josh nodded once to her as an urge to say something. She knew by the look in his eyes that whatever was happening was their work.

"Bones…"

She looked back at him. He was staring at her, his brown eyes darker than she had ever seen. Bones could feel the heat, the pressure, the need to say something to him.

"Come with me." She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the doors. Looking back at her family, she realized Kathy hadn't smiled like that since before her own daughter had died. Whatever Kathy and Josh conspired to do, Brennan didn't mind. Instead, she led her partner out into the crisp night air to give him an answer.


	9. Love Song for a Schuba's Bartender

**A/N: A little fluff just in time for the premiere tonight! I'm sorry this took my so long to post but I wanted to get it just right. I hope you guys like it. I want to say thanks to all my faithful reviewers because I'm really bad at replying. I do my best but college takes up way too much of my writing time :) Happy premiere day to my fellow Americans! (I'm not the only one excited to see Booth in fatigues, right? Mmm, he's too sexy to end the fatigue thing so soon)**

* * *

"Booth…I-ˮ

"Bones, just let me say something. I already told you how I feel and what happened between us wasn't right. We let what happened, what I said and how you reacted come between us. I'm not going to tell you what you already know. You're a genius; it shouldn't take you long to figure it out. I'm just going to let things happen, because right now, Bones, I'm all in. Sweets wanted me to take that gamble for a reason. You're worth it. You're worth any gamble."

"You shouldn't be gambling, Booth," she worried, taking his words too seriously, "You're a degenerate gambler. It isn't healthy."

He laughed quietly. "Bones, did you hear what I said?"

"Yes."

"Okay…Are you gonna say something, Bones? You're killing me here."

"Well, I certainly hope not."

She looked him in the eyes and recognized the same desperate, worried look he had on the steps of the Hoover. She remembered the devastated look in his eyes after she told him no the first time. It broke her heart, metaphorically, and she knew she couldn't do that to him again. She cared for him, more than she could even understand. Brennan had been thinking for a while, since Kathy's arrival to be exact, about that night outside of Sweets' office. She was scared. His words were so sudden; she didn't have enough time to process them. She pushed him away in haste but refused to quit working with him. It was a rash decision, one she hated herself for. She had confided in Kathy, who gave her the best advice she could, and then Brennan did what she did best: compartmentalize. She shoved her feelings away and ignored them whenever they rose to the surface.

"Did you bring me out here for a reason, Bones?" Booth joked.

"Yes. I did," Brennan said. She kept it short. She still hadn't figured out exactly what she had wanted to say.

"Now's the time to speak up, Bones. It's gettin' kinda chilly out here and my coat's inside. If you want to stay out here a while longer, can we at least go in and get our coats?"

"This can wait until later. We should probably head back anyway."

"No!" Booth grabbed her shoulders to keep her where she was as she turned toward the front doors of Founding Fathers, "I mean…no. Let's just talk. Forget about your birthday party. Just say what you want to say."

Brennan took a deep breath as she readied herself.

"Booth, do you take things for granted?"

"Everyone does, Bones. Not on purpose and no one ever realizes it, but yeah, sure I do. Don't you?"

"I have lately. And if it weren't for Kathy, Josh and Katie, I wouldn't have known."

"Katie? Is she speaking to you, Bones?" he spoke with a hint of sarcasm, knowing her beliefs of life beyond the grave are different from his.

"She never answers, but I have found myself lately asking for her advice."

Her answer surprised him and Booth waited for her to continue.

"She always asked me for advice on the males in our high school, probably because I never interacted with them, only observed. I'd tell her what I had seen and she'd interpret the facts in her own way and decide who to date from there. That, plus the affects your beliefs have had on me, I have found myself talking to no one lately. Everything I say is directed towards Katie and, of course, she never responds. But you've told me our loved ones always watch over us wherever they are, so if that's true, she has had the chance to observe things for me in a very similar manner to what I did for her during high school."

"So you've been asking her for advice like she used to do with you?"

"Yes, but like I said, she never responds. But Kathy gave Katie advice so logic would say that whatever advice I would receive from Katie would be similar to what I've been receiving from Kathy."

Booth's mouth had run dry and his nerves were getting the better of him. His arms dropped from her shoulders but his leg began bouncing, similar to what always happened during their sessions with Sweets. He was anxious and she was dragging things out. But Brennan felt the need to explain everything. So he let her speak, interrupting her only when he needed to.

"So what did Kathy say? Anything about me?"

"Yes."

"Bones, you gotta give me more than that."

"Would you still give me a chance? I don't know what I'm doing and you always say I have bad taste in men, but I am willing to reciprocate whatever feelings you might still have."

Booth stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips. He pulled her closer and she waited for a kiss, but it didn't come

"You want to go for a different outcome, Bones?"

She nodded and placed her hands on his chest, focusing on the seams of his shirt. It was cold out and it formed goose bumps on his skin, but her proximity eased them, the warmth of her body soothing his. Booth lifted one hand from her hip and put a hooked finger under her chin. He pulled her head up, looked her in the eye and he could see the fear there. She was scared that despite what he had just told her inside the bar, he'd change his mind. Temperance Brennan, albeit what her name says about her, threw her self-control out the metaphorical window and kissed him. Booth knew she was an impatient woman, but that was unexpected. He didn't complain, however, and returned the kiss. He kept it light but she wanted more. He forced his lips away but kept his body against hers and said, "We gotta go back to your party, Bones."

"Why? Are you still cold?"

He shook his head. "No, I've got you to keep me warm, but we're being watched."

She turned to the window and saw Kathy and Angela looking out at them. Angela turned away to pretend she had something better to do than spy, but Kathy only smiled. Brennan smiled and looked back at Booth, who immediately kissed her again. He ended that one quickly, knowing if they continued, he'd never come up for air.

"Come on. It's not a party without the birthday girl," he said, taking her hand and dragging her toward the door.

"I am a fully grown woman and it's not my birthday yet," she complained.

He held the door open for her as they argued quietly over whether or not she could open the door for herself. Some things would never change.


	10. A Light on a Hill

They walked back into the bar, knowing all eyes were on them, but they acted like they always had. Booth and Brennan walked to the bar, each ordering a drink. They were standing closer, however, and as they talked, Booth's hand never left her arm. It seemed natural to her and Brennan didn't pull away. Angela walked away from Cam and Jack, who were watching the partners in awe and went to Kathy and Josh, who were sitting at the table with the cake, also watching Booth and Brennan.

"You two are good," she said, "I've been trying to get those two together for years."

Kathy beamed at her daughter's friend. "It took a couple of arguments and a lot of thinking on her part, but I think Baby knows now."

"Knows what?"

"That it's okay to be happy," Josh said.

They all watched the two stand at the bar and talk quietly. Their touches were gentle and their smiles were sincere. Much to Angela's surprise, they shared a quick kiss as the bartender delivered their drinks. Angela looked down at the cake that was left and swiped a finger through the frosting.

"Damn," she muttered, taking a taste of the frosting, "I'm not the matchmaker I thought I was. Kudos to you two."

* * *

"I'm happy for you, Baby," Josh approached her. Booth was engaged in a conversation with Max. The regard the agent and the career criminal had was mutual and they were talking amicably.

"You planned this," she accused, but she wasn't mad.

"Kathy and I did our parts. We just gave you the little push you needed.

Brennan smiled and shook her head. "Thanks."

"You deserve to be happy, Baby. He makes you happy and he adores you. But if something's wrong and you want to talk, call me and I'll come out here and kick his ass."

"That won't be necessary. I can kick his ass on my own."

"I heard that," Booth called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay with you, Baby. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to get back to work."

"I'm glad you came. I don't want you to go."

Brennan pulled Kathy into a tight hug and refused to let her go. Josh and Booth stood nearby and neither moved until their flight was called again. Kathy pulled away and readjusted her bag on her shoulder as Brennan let go. Brennan went to Josh and hugged him like she did Kathy. The foster mother went to Booth and hugged him as well.

"Take care of my girl," she whispered in his ear.

"I will," he promised. As soon as Brennan was done saying her goodbyes to her brother, he shook Josh's hand and neither said a word, only exchanged meaningful looks to convey the respect they had for each other.

"Call me when you land," Brennan told both of them. They promised and the couple watched them walk to the gate. With one final wave, Kathy and Josh walked onto their plane to go back home to Illinois.

They walked away from the gate slowly, taking their time as they made their way through the crowd. Booth pulled her close and Brennan wrapped her arm around his. They stood near the baggage claim and stared out the long array of windows as the plane headed for the Chicago O'Hare airport took off.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I miss them is all."

"I know. Come on, let's get out of here."

Booth led her out toward the short-term parking lot and opened the car door for her. She didn't complain, but slid in and put her seat belt on. He stood there, leaning on the open door and watched her. She turned back to him and smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. So, Bones, Baby, where do we go from here?"

"We could go to the diner. Or maybe Sid's. I'm fairly hungry."

"No, I mean, yeah, we can go eat, but I meant where do we go from here as in us. I was talking about me and you."

"You mean our relationship?"

He nodded.

"Normally, I would stress that I am in independent, intelligent woman who doesn't need to rely on a man, but Kathy's guidance and Josh's suggestions have given me reasons to give a relationship with you a strong chance."

"So, I guess I should send them a thank you note," he joked.

"What did Kathy say to you?"

"She told me to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself, Booth. Kathy knows that."

"Yes, but you're going to have to let go of that and let me. I'm not breaking my promise to your mother."

Brennan smiled. "Biologically, she is not my mother. But, since I have very few memories of her, I could conclude that Kathy could be considered as my mother."

"Exactly. And I promised to take care of her little girl and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Booth."

"But that's how Kathy sees you. She loves you and she wants her daughter to be happy."

Instead of repeating her biology speech to him, she nodded. "I am."

* * *

**A/N: So I'm ending it here, but I had such a great time writing my characters (Kathy and Josh) that I'm considering writing a series of one-shots based on the background story I gave a few chapters ago. Brennan's other foster siblings, Katie and Aaron, would be featured and most would take place in Burtonsville during Brennan's time with her foster family. If any readers are interested, I'm willing to write it. I have some plots in mind and it would probably be as long as this story, longer if I feel like it. So please let me know if you guys would be willing to read it. Thanks for reading everyone and thanks to all who have reviewed! :)**


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